Social Commerce in Emerging Markets: A Narrative Literature Review of Determinants Influencing Consumer Purchase Intentions in the Restaurant Sector in Pakistan

HRMARS - In the contemporary digital marketing era, social commerce has risen as a transformative business paradigm that completely redefines the boundaries of consumer engagement, community-driven communication, and organizational value creation. Moving away from traditional, product-oriented e-commerce pipelines that emphasize isolated transactions, social commerce leverages the interactive power of Web 2.0 social systems to turn digital networks into highly social-centric and customer-oriented spaces. This comprehensive narrative review explores the direct online factors, psychological variables, and environmental determinants that govern consumer purchase intentions within the high-growth hospitality and full-service restaurant industry of expanding South Asian economies, with a particular focus on Pakistan. By integrating the core tenants of Trust Transfer Theory (Stewart, 2003) and Social Exchange Theory (Blau, 1964), this research provides a multi-dimensional framework examining the individual and collective roles of consumer sociability, brand trust, and source credibility. The literature indicates that while baseline service indicators—such as food quality, physical convenience, and competitive pricing structures—form the critical baseline of any service brand, it is the overarching mechanism of Customer Engagement that transforms passive social interactions and electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM) into highly definitive purchasing behaviors. Concurrently, the psychological anxiety known as the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) is evaluated as a powerful, non-linear moderator that systematically alters user risk thresholds, amplifies peer-imitative buying patterns, and accelerates spontaneous dining selections to preserve corporate and community belonging. Ultimately, this comprehensive evaluation highlights how active corporate social visibility, robust review infrastructure verification, and proactive consumer relationship platforms minimize digital information deficits, strengthen brand equity, and shape the financial trajectory of modern culinary organizations.